By GARBA MUHAMMAD

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with EngenderHealth through a Gates Foundation-supported project, is set to train members of the Kaduna State Maternal Accountability Mechanism (KADMAM) on the use of the newly launched FASTR Scorecard for evidence-based health advocacy.

The two-day capacity-building workshop, scheduled for August 12–13, 2026 in Kaduna, will bring together 10 members of the Evidence Committee of the State-Led Accountability Mechanism (SLAM).

According to an invitation from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare,the workshop is designed to strengthen the capacity of State Programme Managers and Civil Society Organisations to effectively use the FASTR Scorecard in improving Primary Health Care (PHC) and Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCH+N) programming in Nigeria.

The FASTR Scorecard leverages RMNCH+N indicators to support evidence-driven assessment of health sector performance and provide information that can guide advocacy, accountability and decision-making.

Participants will receive practical training on accessing and extracting RMNCH+N data from the FASTR platform, as well as applying gender-responsive approaches to health data analysis and interpretation.

The workshop will also strengthen participants' capacity to develop advocacy-focused scorecards using routine RMNCH+N data and translate evidence into advocacy actions aimed at improving accountability and informed decision-making within PHC systems.

The ministry said the engagement was particularly important given the strategic role of accountability stakeholders in health sector planning, monitoring and decision-making, noting that their technical contributions would help promote evidence-driven advocacy and ensure interventions respond to state-specific priorities and needs.

The workshop, which will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, is expected to further equip KADMAM members with practical tools for transforming routine health data into advocacy briefs and scorecards capable of supporting improved maternal, newborn and child health outcomes in Kaduna State.

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